Bridle-bit



(N10 Model.)

T. D.GORDON. BRIDLE BIT.

Patented May 1, 1894.

Unites) STATES PATENT Orriontf THOMAS'D. GORDON, OF MONMOUTH, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN W. GORDON, OF TRINIDAD, OOLORADO.

BRlDLE-BIT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of- Letters Patent No. 519,112, dated May 1, 1894:-

Application filed October 2 4, 1 893. Serial No. 488,981. No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS D. GORDON, a, citizen of the United States, residing at Monmouth, in the county of Warren and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridles, of which the followlng is a specification.

. The bridle to which the invention that is herein described pertains, is of that general class in which an overdraw check rein is fixed to a chin strap which passes beneath the animals chin, instead of to the bridle bit or to the ends of a small supplemental mouth piece or bit which is independent of the mouth piece or main member of the driving bit, and to that particular class or type of such bridle bits in which are provided means whereby the chin strap is connected with the mouthpiece of the bit in such manner that its end portions may slide endlong of themselves with reference to said mouthpiece. As heretofore constructed, in this class or type of bridle bits having the chin strap connected with the bit, so as to be held against lateral movement while permitted to have free back and forth endlong movements with reference to the bit, the chin strap has either been connected with I the mouth piece in such manner that it (the chin strap) would contact with the animals s1de lips, and in sliding back and forth thereagainst, evenwhen the overd'raw check rein was only moderately taut, would rub and abrade such parts, and by thus painfully affecting the animal would defeat the principal object for which it was intended; or the chin strap was passed through some projecting part forward of the ends of the mouth piece, in such location as to bring thechin strap into an objectionable position, too far forwardly on the animals lowerj aw or chin.

My invention has for its leading object the production of a bridle bit or bitting mechanism, with which an overdraw check rein connected with a chin strap can be used, with all the superior advantages arising from such connectiona bridle bit provided with means whereby the chin strap will be permitted to have the most free endlong movement of its end parts, while held from lateral movement, and in the most favorable location on the animals chin, and at the same time held in such provements are shown as embodied in the best way now known to me; obviouslyhowover, some of these parts may differ in their construction, and assemblage or disposition for co-aotion, from my improvements, and without departure from the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective of parts of a driving bridle embodying my improvements, shown in place on a horses head; Fig. 2, a plan, showing one end of a blank from which the cheek guards and the cover for the mouth piece are formed; Fig. 3, a perspective of a bit, with cheek guards, loop, chin strap, and

one end of a standing martingale in place; Fig. 4, a sectional elevation in line 4-4 in Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a modification of the covering for the chin strap, hereinafter described; Fig. 6, an elevation of the bit,of one check; guard, and part of a chin strap.

The cheek pieces, brow band, crown piece and throat latch shown at Fig. 1, are parts of an ordinary bridle, designated respectively by the reference letters A, B, O and D, and may be constructed as shown or in any ordinary way to which my improvements would be applicable.

The bridlebit E, formed of a metallic mouth piece 2, covered with a leather covering e, the extended ends of which are enlarged to form cheek guards c and the bit rings 6 carried in holes through the end of the piece e, is an ordinary construction of bit which may be constructed as shown, in which case it is a stiff bit; or the part 6 maybe formed of leather or other flexible material, to make a flexible bit,

I In bits such as I have shown the covering 6 1s generally made from a blank, one end of whlch is formed substantially as shown at Fig. 2, and then fixed upon the piece e by wrapping its mouth part c thereabout, as shown at Figs. 3 and 4., and sewing together its contacting edges. The part 6 being then covered with leather, and the cheek guards e be1ng on the inner sides of the bit rings e or between said rings and the side cheeks or aws of the animal, when the bridle is thereon, will entirely prevent any metal coming in contact with the animals mouth, and thereby damaging it, especially in cold, frosty weather. This construction of bit .can be varied from the construction which I have shown, the essential feature required for the purposes of my invention being simply that the cheek guards be mounted 011 the bit in an ordinary manner so that one cheek guard c will be between each bit ring 6 and the side cheek or jaws of the animal when the bridle is on said animal. The cheekguards e have each a slot 6 which receives a loop a on the adjacent lower end of the cheek pieces A of the bridle. Each of the loops at also receives one of the bit rings e whereby the cheek guard and bit ring are held snugly in contact.

The chin strap G, with loops g at its ends, is of ordinary construction, as is also the nose band H, one end of which is connected with each loop g. The lower ends, Z, of the overdraw check rein are also, as shown, connected, one end thereof with each end ofthe nose band, and thereby connected, one end thereof with each end of the chin strap. In so far however, as the connection of my improvement with the overdraw check rein is concerned, the nose band may be dispensed with, and the lower ends Z of the check rein L be connected,directly, one with each end of the chin strap by connection with the adjacent loop 9, or otherwise if preferred. To protect the under portion of the chin of the animal from abrasion by the chin strap, it may be covered on its side next the chin by an ordinary padded covering, m, as shown at Fig. 3, or by a piece of rubber tube, m, slipped thereover, as shown at Fig. 5.

When a pad m is used, the upper end of a standing martingale N may be secured thereto by looping it around the chin strap, and between it and said strap, as shown at Fig. 3. When the rubber tubing is used, the end of the standing martingale is connected with the chin strap by passing the loop on the martingale through an aperture m in said tube, and around the chin strap, as shown at Fig. 5. In either case the loop referred to on the end of the standing martingale is connected with the chin strap by buckling the end of the martingale back upon itself, as shown, whereby it may easily be removed when so desired. The lower end of the standing martingale, not shown, extends to and is a loop e ,-which is located within the bit ring 6 and preferablynear the center thereof, and between saidcenter and the side of the ring next the end of the mouthpiece of the bit. As shown at Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the loop (2 is formed of a short strap folded, and its ends sewed (preferably with a blind seam) to the inner side of the blank 6', at the union of its parts 6 and e, and in such position that its outer or loop end will be located substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the adjacent bit ring and end of the mouth piece. The end portions of the chin strap pass loosely, one end portion through each loop a, so that said end portions can slide freely, endlong of themselves, back and forth in said loops, while being held by the loops, against lateral movement, and each in a line across the adjacent cheek guard and bit ring, and each in a position in rear of the adjacent end of the mouth piece of the bit, when the bit is in place on the animal, as shown plainest at Fig. 1. Preferably each end of the chin strap passes between the adjacent bit ring and cheek guard at the lower side of said parts, and over or outside of both the bit ring and cheek guard at the upper side of the bit ring, as shown at Figs. 1, 3 and 4, so that while both the bit ring and end part of the chin strap are held at the lower side of the bit ring, from contact with the cheeks of the animal, by the cheek guard, the end portion of the chin strap at the upper side of the bit ring is held by both the cheek guard and the bit ring at such distance from the animals face, where the chin strap and the lower end part of the check rein pass over the nasal air passages, that even when there is heavy pulling on the overdraw check rein, neither its lower ends nor the ends of the chin strap will press upon the nasal air passages and obstruct them, as is the case especially when an overdraw check rein is used, and connected in an ordinary manner with a chin strap. Each end of the chin strap may be located, as shown at Fig. 6, over its respective cheek guard and under the adjacent ring, or each of its ends maybe located exterior to both the ring and cheek guard, but in all cases throug the loop a.

The loop a may be formed in different ways, another of which ways I have shown at Fig. 6, in which the part e between two slits e is made in an evident manner to form aloop 6, but in all different ways that may be used of forming the loops the essential features of my improvement in connection especially with said loops are: that they be exterior to or on the outer side of the cheek guard from the animals cheek, so as to entirely prevent any whereby the ends of the chin strap will be retained by the loops in a line across the bit rings, in rear of the ends of the bit, and back.

of the corners of the animals mouth, or across its cheeks, and being held in a line across the bit rings can be located inside of the lower sides of the rings and outside of the strained therefrom and quickly broken there of without punishment or damage to their mouths, and especially Without risk of slight fractures of their lower jaw bones, as often occurs Where the standing martingale is connected in the ordinary manner, by bifurcated ends, to the driving bit rings.

The end portions of each chin strap, passing as described, on the inner side of the bit ring at its lower side, and on the outer side of the bit ring at the upper side thereof, as shown at Figsrl and 2, will, as is evident, cause it (the end of the chin strap) to pass through the bit ring andthereby introduce anelement of safety, arising from the fact that should the loop a break or tear loose, the chin strap would be held securely by the bit rings, and also by the cheek guards, which are connected with the bit rings by the cheek piecesA of the bridle, and with the mouth piece also. The standing martingale being connected with the chin strap, and the ends of the chin strap connected with the ends of the nose band, said martingale will act on the nose band, and without in any way pull: ing upon the mouth piece of the bridle bit,

and thus relieve the animal from all punishment or suffering arising from a standing martingale connected with the mouth piece of thebit, and operating directly on the tender part of the animals mouth through its connection therewith. The chin strap may be used with the standing martingale and nose hand without the overdraw check rein; and may also be used with the overdraw check rein with or Without the nose band, and without the standing martingle. r

The most intelligent handlers of horses are at this day the strongest advocates of the most humane methods of handling them,and of the superior success of such methods with all classes of horses. It is believed that the combination of overdraw check rein and bit herein described, will remove all objections to the use of the overdraw check rein and the standing martingale, which objections have arisen from their punishment of the horse as they were ordinarily applied.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination substantially as hereinbefore described, with a bridle bit comprising in its structure a mouthpiece having bit rings and cheek guards at its ends, of loops located exterior to said cheek guards and 1n rear of the ends of said mouth piece, and fixed in position relatively to the mouth piece and cheek guards, and a chin strap, the ends of which pass through said loops, have free endlong movement therethrough, are held thereby against lateral movement, and 1n rear of, or above the corners of the horses mouth,

2. The combination substantially as hereinbefore described, with a bridle bit comprising in its structure, a mouth piece hav1ngb1t rings atits ends, cheek guards mounted thereon, and loops fixed to the outer ends of said mouth piece on the outer side of the cheek guards and in rear of the adjacent end of the mouth piece, and a chin strap, the end parts of which arelocated exterior to saidcheek guards, and pass under the lower parts of the bit rings, thence through the loops in which they have free endlou g movement, and thence over the upper parts of the bit rings, of an overdraw check rein, the lower ends of which are secured to theends of said chin strap.

3. The combination substantially as hereinbefore described, with a bridle bit comprlsing in its structure, a mouth piece having bit rings at its ends, cheek guards mounted thereon, and loops fixed to the outer ends of sald mouth piece outside of the cheek guards and in rear of the adjacent ends of the month 1 piece, of a chin strap the end parts of which are located exterior to said check guards and pass through said loops in which they are free to slide endlong; of a nose strap and an overdraw check rein both connected with the ends of the chin strap, and a standing martingale 

